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Will
Birth Control Pills harm the baby of a pregnant woman?
Birth
control pills and other birth control methods are designed to prevent unwanted
pregnancies. It is one-step in advance of preventing pregnancy. However, once
the pregnancy is established, contraception methods may not work, instead it may
be harmful for the baby inside or growing fetus.
Some women may experience
pregnancy while they are still on pills or other birth control options. If you
realize the pregnancy while on the pill, you must consult your doctor or healthcare
professional immediately an9d follow the instruction on medication. In most cases,
it is highly instructed to quit taking pills or other birth control options. If
birth control method is required anyway, other barrier birth control methods like
condoms, spermicides, diaphragm etc are recommended.
Studies have shown
that birth control pills do not have any significant affect on growing fetus as
long as the pregnancy is in early stages. It is the myth that continuing use of
the pill during pregnancy will cause an abortion. Let it be clear that contraception
pills or other birth control devices do not abort the pregnancy already occurred
but prevent it to happen by thickening of cervical mucus to stop ovulation (i.e
release of eggs). Hormones in the pills and birth control devices do not affect
the development of the fetus. However, precaution must be taken to avoid any birth
control defects.
If you experience contraception failure or unprotected
intercourse and fear of unwanted pregnancy within couple of days, you must consider
contraception pill like Plan B emergency contraception. It must be taken immediately
as soon as unprotected intercourse or contraception failure has occurred like
condom slipped off or break.
If you have become pregnant while taking on
the pill and wish to abort, you need to consult your doctor or healthcare professional
to discuss what options are available and how they would affect your health. Please
note that abortion in the advance stage of pregnancy could be life-threatening.
Well, no one would recommend terminating pregnancy, it would be entirely at your
discretion how you decide to go with your pregnancy plans.
Although birth
control pills and similar birth
control options do not harm the existing fetus
but there is no authenticated research report that
could assure the safety of baby or 100% safe birth.
Possibilities of birth defects can not be ruled out
and therefore, not advisable to take risk of. Researches
do not study many pregnant women due to the fear of
potential damage of the fetus development but they
do in rare cases. Only one published report has revealed
that birth control pills during pregnancy could increase
the possibility of rare abnormalities like congenital
urinary tract abnormalities in the fetus or baby.